Rick Kilby will discuss his latest book, Florida’s Healing Waters: Gilded Age Mineral Springs, Seaside Resorts & Health Spas, a historical account of a little-known time in Florida history when tourists poured into the state in search of good health. Kilby will explore the phenomena of “taking the waters” during a golden age of bathing in Florida when the state was a prime destination for visitors seeking restoration and romance in mineral springs, surf, and spa. Travelers during this era helped establish the state’s tourist-based economy by flocking to resorts at springs such as Green Cove Springs, White Sulphur Springs, and Espiritu Santo Springs, and surf bathing at seaside properties in places such as Palm Beach and Pass-A-Grille.

Florida’s Healing Waters is part of a conversation series, Let’s Talk About Water, convened by Florida Humanities to celebrate water as a life-sustaining source.